Trillanes on kidnap allegations: Meant to silence opposition

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV reiterated on Friday that the kidnapping allegations against  him by a Davao City businesswoman is fabricated and meant to silence the critics of the Duterte administration.

In a statement on Friday, Trillanes maintained that he has never met Guillermina Barrido and only learned that she had sought sanctuary from the religious community "because of her supposed damaging information against Duterte."

The former lawmaker added that Barrido also asked Filipinos abroad for financial support but that they stopped sending money "once they noticed that she had only been making up stories to extort money."

"She then turned to the other side and started claiming that she has been forced by those who gave her sanctuary," Trillanes said, adding that he was added to the kidnapping complaint "for political impact."

"That's as absurd as Duterte saying that I didn't apply for amnesty. Just the same, my lawyers would be presenting lots of evidence to debunk this fantastic allegation," he added.

Earlier in the day, the Department of Justice ordered Trillanes to appear at the preliminary investigation of the kidnapping complaint against him.

A prosecutor ordered Trillanes to appear at the DOJ in Manila on October 11 and submit his counter-affidavit to the charges filed by the Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on behalf of Barrido. — RSJ, GMA News